Columbia Christian Fellowship

BLOOD

Pastor Jeff — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:07:27 +0000

We hear a lot about blood, as Christians. We hear of the blood given for our sins, which was the very life of our Savior being poured out. We are “saved by the blood.”
Today I had blood drawn to have my cholesterol checked. I sat there while a delightful lady poked me with a needle that was attached to a large syringe. My blood was apparently resistant to leave me. I really appreciated my bloods desire to remain with me and generally hope that it continues that attitude, since I have very much enjoyed the company of my blood and the long relationship that we have had together. My blood eventually succumbed to the forces of gravity, however, and filled the receptacle with a sufficient supply in order to run the necessary checks to ensure my long term health. In this case giving up a little of the precious fluid was done for my benefit. We hardly think of the loss of blood as a benefit in most instances.
With our Savior, the loss of His blood was not for His benefit, but rather for ours. My daughter recently donated blood through the Red Cross. She, like our Messiah, gave her blood to benefit another. I gave up a vile of blood for my benefit. She gave up a pint for someone else’s benefit, and the Savior gave up all of His blood for the good of all of mankind.
It’s kind of funny how much more worthwhile it seems to give blood for another’s benefit than for one’s own. Then again, when we look at life in general, it always seems to feel the best when we are living our lives with a sense of some greater purpose other than merely our own self gratifying or self fulfilling purposes.
We marvel at the works of the Messiah, but in our heart of hearts, if we truly examine ourselves, we often find that we feel just like Him in matters of service. In short, it just always feels better to serve others than it does to serve self. This in spite of the fact that we live in a world that seems more focused on receiving than on giving.
If we listen to our hearts, I think we will quickly find there the truth of our Messiah alive and well in us. It is better to give than to receive and it does fulfill us when we sacrifice and serve another.
In the end, what I am describing here today is the nature of love. The more we strive to receive it, the more elusive it seems to become; but, the more that we give it, the more we will experience and feel it.
Give. Blessings and Shalom!

THE THING ABOUT STREAMS

Pastor Jeff — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:45:06 +0000

Where I live, there are no streams nearby. There are massive rivers, but no streams. That may sound unimportant, and in the great scheme of things it is. But I grew up with a plethora of streams all about. In Maine, streams are everywhere, from small creeks to significant sized brooks. Here, the closest stream is well over a 30 minute drive.
“What’s the difference?” you may well ask.
The difference is that with large rivers, everyone knows where the river leads and how it flows. With a stream, which disappears into a forest, it winds and turns; flows and spills in a mystery. One actually has to follow that stream beyond what’s plainly seen from a field or highway. One must enter the realm of the stream itself. Follow its path, in order to discover its secreted wonders.
I recall many such adventures as a child and even as an adult. I would cross bridges on old scarcely travelled roads and see streams and wonder where they led, where their path would take someone. What forest does it water? What trees has it fed for decades? How many beautiful Trout does it support? I have crossed bridges on well travelled roads and known that miles away, another bridge, on another road, also crossed this same stream. But what lies in between the bridges? What mysteries await; what treasures of natural beauty does this stream pass? I have followed these streams into forests deep and thick, only to have them lead me to an opening in the middle of a forest, miles from mankind. I have followed streams that I was certain flowed a certain general path and reappeared miles away, but when I’ve followed their path, I discovered that the stream forked and also went to a place I had not known.
These many years later I have come to recognize that life itself is a stream. Where exactly its path will take us is a mystery. We will follow its flow to the end and there discover a secret place where the living waters gather. Along the way, many new things, many beautiful things await our discovery. We may walk this stream of life with our eyes straining to focus on what lies ahead, around the next bend, or we may choose to enjoy the place where we now are for its own blessings, while still looking forward with anticipation to the joy and discovery which this stream will next reveal to us.
Maybe I was wrong. Maybe there is a beautiful stream where I live after all.
Blessings and Shalom!

A NEW YEAR

Pastor Jeff — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:35:48 +0000

Happy or not, it’s a new year. We all hope and pray for happy, but we’re delusional if we believe that means a year with no challenges ahead. The truth is that a year without challenges is a year not lived. The world keeps spinning, societies continue to evolve and change and the beat goes on.
Life cannot stop just to make us “happy”, let alone the fact that what makes me happy may actually cause you to be unhappy. Like what if my football, baseball or whatever sports team wins and yours loses? I’m then happy with the outcome, whilst you are not. Perhaps you will get chosen for a promotion that I wanted or your candidate will win in 2012, but mine will lose. We cannot predict what the future holds, but we can expect that it will not only have victories, but also defeats. This is the way of life on this planet.
What we can hope for, however, is the ability to grow in our willingness to be happy about our life. If we take the attitude that we’ll be happy after our ship comes in, after our sore knee heals, after our spouse straightens out or our kids stop acting out, we’ll be waiting forever to be “truly happy.”
My experience says that nobody ever experiences true happiness until they learn how to be happy in their current circumstances. This, more often than not, requires us to make a willful decision to be happy. In fact, several years ago, a study was done of couples to find out why some seemed happy, while others did not. The results of the study revealed a somewhat surprising result. The difference between couples who were generally happy and those who were not came down to one thing. The couples, who identified themselves as happy, were happy because they had decided to be happy. It turns out that they all faced very similar and comparable circumstances and challenges, but the couples who faced those challenges with the positive attitude that they were going to be happy despite these challenges, did indeed feel happy. The other group was determined that if they could just get past their challenges, then they could be happy.
It’s funny. When we look around and see people being happy, we usually assume that their lives must be so blessed that they have few challenges. But it turns out that they are happy not because they are blessed with a lack of challenges, but because they are blessed with the ability to walk through those challenges without feeling like a victim of them; seeing them as part of a normal, happy life. Blessings and Shalom!

PRINT CARTRIDGES

Pastor Jeff — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 10:10:05 +0000

I have recently noticed that the ink in the print cartridges of my printer tends to run at the most critically inopportune moments.
It always seems to be that it is exactly when I need to print some document, like this newsletter, that the ink runs out. Not just before, not just after, but right in the middle. I cannot tell you how many frantic trips I’ve made to the department store to get another cartridge. I usually keep a spare, but a number of times I’ve been caught unprepared.
I’ve been ruminating about this today and started thinking that if I run out of gas in the car or lawnmower; it tends to be at an inconvenient time. Then I realized that it is basically impossible to run out of something conveniently. Running out of something virtually requires it to be inconveniently timed or else you didn’t really run out, you just perhaps ran low, because you already had more ink, more gas, more milk, more bread or what have you, in your possession.
This said, it reveals that running out may be inconvenient, but that it is mostly avoidable. Like running out of patience, running out of grace, running out of mercy or compassion. We alone decide the levels of these things in our daily lives. We ultimately determine to be out of patience, or to dig a little deeper to find, even create some more of it. We can say that our patience is running thin, but we can also determine to have more. We can become frustrated or perhaps feel overwhelmed by life and its circumstances, but we alone can decide how much grace we are willing to extend or how much mercy we’re willing to show. No one else can determine our reserves of love and compassion for others or how kind we will be…or not be.
The point of our faith is to believe in the power of forgiveness and love and to grow in this belief, this faith, to the point where we never run out of our reserves of these precious and meaningful commodities.
The final “end game” of faith is to learn how to grow ourselves in those things which are of the character of our Savior. It is a lifelong process and will ultimately produce the difference of becoming a bitter and contentious old man/woman, who is disappointed and disgusted with the world and its inhabitants, or a kind and benevolent older person who adds smiles and peacefulness to the world around them.
Blessings and Shalom!

OLD DEBTS

Pastor Jeff — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 01:23:10 +0000

About a year ago, I received a bill for past due taxes on a boat that I haven’t owned for 10 years. Apparently, the county in California where this tax bill was issued from has had some past serious financial problems and therefore tried to find ways to recoup lost revenue. The problem is that they were taxing me for years that I didn’t own the boat. I called and told them this but the rather robotic lady who answered the phone told me that this was not their problem and that I had to prove to them that I didn’t own a boat that I hadn’t owned for over 10 years.
She was convinced that her records showed that I owned this boat, but what was truly amazing is that I had talked to her office regarding this same issue, 8 years ago. That time I found someone who knew how to access the Dept. of Marine Licensing records and she found that I was correct and that this vessel was licensed to another individual for the past 3 years. I was instructed that I need take no further action and that they would correct their records.
Now, however, the burden of proof was laid back at my door. Question: Who has records proving that they haven’t owned something for over ten years? Answer: Me.
I checked my files and found one that had all of the necessary documents that proved I did not own this vessel during the time in question. I even had the old invoice and the name of the lady who looked up the owner in the Licensing database, eight years earlier. (Unfortunately that lady no longer worked there and the current employee told me that wasn’t her job.)
I was remembering this incident today and suddenly thought about how fortunate we are to have all of our old debts forgiven by our Savior. He doesn’t require us to keep a record of our debt forgiveness and He Himself, according to the Scriptures says this: “For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
We truly live in a world that seems intent upon keeping a record of wrongs and requiring everyone to right them. Clearly this veers from the plan, intent and heart of our Creator.
The more we let go of, and therefore the smaller our ledger sheet of offenses that we hold against others becomes, the more we shall be free.
Blessings and Shalom!

JACQUES COUSTEAU

Pastor Jeff — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 19:49:30 +0000

I watched a documentary the other day that featured Jacque Cousteau’s grandson, Phillippe Cousteau Jr. He, like his father and grandfather, is an adventurer and scientist, fascinated with the sea and the ecosystem of the world’s oceans.
One area that he was examining was the coral reef known as the Reef of Rome that is in the Red Sea.
During the 1960’s, his grandfather, Jacque, created an undersea dwelling where Jacque and a number of his colleagues lived for about three months. They were monitored by medical staff to record their bodies’ physical response to living in this alien environment of increased pressure.
Phillippe Jr., along with his team, dove in these waters and found the remnants of this structure. He was inspired by the advanced science of that early day and was also deeply touched by this evidence of his family’s heritage and legacy. He was also then inspired to continue the work of his family to explore and monitor the world’s underwater ecosystem.
Beyond his obvious commitment to the long term health of the sea, I was interested in his attitude and his desire to be identified with his father and grandfather’s legacy. He was proud to be a link in a chain that is his family’s bloodline.
Many today want to be seen as a unique individual, one apart from their family. Being unique, special and individual doesn’t require being seen as unlike someone else.
We are made in the image of our Creator, according to Genesis 1:26. This means that we are designed to carry the image of our Heavenly Father. We are to follow His legacy and conform to His ways. Doing so could reveal how much we are like Him. Not doing so could cause us to be seen as set apart from Him.
Phillippe Cousteau Jr. is a lot like his Dad and Grandpa. He is also his own person in many ways. It is not required that we strive to be unlike someone else in order to be our own person. Trying to be unlike something leaves us with no image to strive toward and therefore no way to measure our progress.
Being like our Heavenly Father simply allows us to be the very best, unique version of ourselves that we could ever be.
Blessings and Shalom.

JACQUE COUSTEAU

Pastor Jeff — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 19:48:17 +0000

THANKSGIVING

Pastor Jeff — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 02:50:01 +0000

It’s easy to celebrate this holiday. Make a meal and serve it to loved ones. Be thankful for that which you have. There. I’m done. What’s next? Ah yes, Christmas.
What if we looked at this a little bit differently this year? I mean, go ahead, have your celebratory gathering and meal, but what more is possible?
Sure, we want to be humbly aware and grateful for our many blessings, but why is it that this holiday somehow keeps looking like a repeat of the meal that the pilgrims shared with the native peoples? Are we grateful for their survival and thereby our great nations roots being established or perhaps we’re grateful in kind that we too have had provision this year which allows us to survive.
What more can be done with this time? Is it too late to change? Can this be a time when we not only become humble and grateful for what provision we have but also for what people we have in our lives? Better yet; can it become a time when we want to better become a provision for another in order to give them something more to be grateful for?
It is, after all, named thanks “giving.” Rewarding ourselves with a meal to show how thankful we are is eerily akin to throwing ourselves a birthday party and then announcing how grateful we are for another year of life.
These days, I am beginning to see gratitude for life already lived as somewhat misguided if it doesn’t contain an aggressive agenda that translates that gratitude into service which benefits another and helps them to feel loved and supported and capable of making it through another year, another, month, a week, a day or even the next few minutes.
It seems to me that being grateful for my life and my provision ought to mean using it all for the benefit and provision of others, thereby making me not just grateful for what I have or can receive, but grateful that I can give.
This sounds and feels a lot more like thanks “giving” and not just thankfulness for receiving.
Have a great time this Thanksgiving. Blessings and Shalom!

HOLES

Pastor Jeff — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 19:26:45 +0000

My grandfather once asked me a question: “If it takes an hour to dig a hole, then how long does it take to dig a half a hole?”
I was a young boy and quickly answered him with my mathematical answer. I did the math and the answer was clear. I rather proudly announced my answer: “A half an hour!” I exclaimed.
Gramps looked at me and smiled. I had unwittingly fallen into his well set mental trap. He asked me another question: “What is a half a hole?”
I was stunned. I realized that I couldn’t describe a half of a hole. Gramps patted me on the shoulder and explained that a hole, once created is a hole. Any hole is a whole but if you were to dig a hole that is 2 feet across its diameter and then build a partition which served to cut that hole into two, then the result isn’t 2 half holes, but rather 2 separate holes, each 1 foot across in diameter.
It seems that other than mathematically, a half a hole doesn’t exist, except in the context of a half a whole.
My young mind reeled as I struggled to reconcile this concept. I realized 2 things at this moment: 1. There was physically no possibility for the existence of a half a hole even though I could compute the size of that hole and half of its whole space. 2. That although math and science were specific tools that could be used to try and understand the physical world around me, they had limitations that restricted their use as tools when trying to contemplate abstract concepts.
In this case I could compute numbers that seemed to make perfect sense, but when I tried to apply the perfectly accurate numbers to my perfectly plain world, they failed to accurately represent reality.
The well known “Big Bang Theory”, invented to attempt to explain creation, has a mathematical model that goes with it. It seems that if the scientists can prove their theory mathematically, on paper, they feel that it is solid. In reality, the Big Bang Theory has been reworked many times. Although the math used to validate the theory could be made to add up, the practical realities of the Laws of Physics created problems with the validity of the then held version of the theory. So what did the scientists do? They revised their theory. How did they go about proving the new aspects of this version of the theory? Once again they reworked the math until it added up. Once again, they felt that their theory was valid. What happened next was that another flaw was found with this new version. What was the response? Scrap the theory? Nope. They restated the theory, accounting for this new aspect. But, of course, the math wasn’t jiving anymore. So, once again, they reworked the math, found a way to make it add up and were once again sure of their theory. This has happened many times over the years. It never seems to discourage them from the theory.
I have a theory too. Here’s the math: You (+) me (+) everybody else (x) the earth that sustains human life (+) the known universe (/) the chance that it would all work together = the existence of our Father who art in Heaven.
Blessings and Shalom!

BLACK DOG AT NIGHT

Pastor Jeff — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 20:12:06 +0000

Once per week I participate in the distribution of a weekly publication for the local newspaper. I have a long list of recipients and I drive by their houses and toss the papers into their driveways. Most of this is done at night.
A short while ago, I was delivering this paper on a street at the edge of town. The street is a dead end and there are about 8 houses on this one block stretch. Each household on this particular street receives one of these papers. I threw the papers into the driveways of each resident as I went down the street. I pulled into the drive at the last house, threw their paper into the drive, backed out and returned back to continue on my route.
I passed by each drive and double checked that the papers were in the drives and hadn’t rolled back into the street. When I passed the next to last house, I couldn’t see the paper that I was sure I had just thrown into that drive. Had I missed it? Had it rolled into the bushes? I was just about to turn around and go back when I caught a flash of movement out of the corner of my eye. I looked more closely but couldn’t see what it was. My headlights then hit the moving object. It was a very large Rottweiler with an enormous head, trotting down the street. Then, I noticed something else. In its mouth was the missing newspaper!
I couldn’t help but laugh. He had his head up high and he was carrying the paper with what appeared to be great pride. I sure wasn’t going to try and coax it away from him either.
This was a comical moment, but I couldn’t help but wonder if he knew exactly where he was taking the paper. Did he know what to do with it or was it merely a toy? Was he retrieving it to take to his master in order to show him how well he had learned the hours of training that went into getting him to retrieve newspapers or was this nothing more than a moment’s entertainment? Was he trained to do this at all or was it merely a reaction to something that looked good for that instant; something that he’d try for a little bit to see how it fit his agenda?
I related this to a walk with the Master of the Universe. Is His Word something that we see and pick up as a temporary distraction to see if or how it fits in our agenda or are we truly willing to be trained by it? Are we willing to carry His Word with us proudly wherever we go? Are we truly carrying its truth in our hearts and proudly displaying our obedience to it in all that we do? Are we a flash in the light, like that black dog barely visible in the darkness of night, or are we willing to live in the light, living by the Word carrying it back to Him daily through our actions and deeds? Blessings and Shalom!

THE GOOD WITH THE BAD

Pastor Jeff — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 17:25:36 +0000

I’ve travelled around a bit. I started in the east and I now live in the west. I’ve been to most of the lower forty eight states, as well as Hawaii.
The interesting thing to me is that every place has its benefits. California has moderate temperatures, the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the ocean and beaches. Florida also has tropical conditions, beautiful beaches and great fishing. Colorado has the Majestic Rocky Mountains. Maine has terrific beaches, great fishing, hunting and don’t forget the lobster! Texas has warm temperatures and great barbeque. Hawaii is beautiful and even has set its own pace, “Hawaii Time.”
Each person has to pick what features they most like when choosing a home, but, as is the case in this life, very little can claim all benefit and no downside.
Florida has hurricanes, California has earth quakes, and Maine has brutally long and cold winters. Hawaii is isolated and has become very crowded; many items are more expensive due to its remote location. Colorado has cold winters and no ocean. Texas has tornados.
Is anything perfect? No; except for one thing that we may experience in this mortal world: The love of our Heavenly Father.
How do we actually experience this love? The truth is that if we are to experience this love, it will happen because it was bestowed upon us by another person who believes in that unconditional love.
Some would say that unconditional love is not within the capacity of mere humans, but the Scriptures tell us that we were made in His image (Genesis 1:27 – So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.) and He also asks us to love one another as He has loved us (John 15:12 – “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.) Obviously He sees us as capable of this love, even if we do not.
People, like places, have strengths and weaknesses. We are never going to find a flawless human being. We would all benefit if we could learn to take the good and the bad, rather than the currently popular system of critiquing everyone and everything until we find the flaw.
So what does this unconditional love look like in its everyday application? Simply this: Forgive much, give mercy, bestow grace and focus on the positive. Set your minds and hearts on these things and thereby find and give the love of the Father. Blessings and Shalom!

BAD HABITS

Pastor Jeff — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:38:03 +0000

Smoking, drinking to access, drug use, overeating, pornography; all of these are certainly considered by most as bad habits. It’s easy to see a bad habit when it is a behavior that we do. We know if we are smoking, we know if we got drunk or ate too much. Often, our thought is to try and stop that behavior. If we stop the action, we stop the bad habit.
What about the bad habits of omission? If we have developed a bad habit of not doing something, have we not still developed a bad habit? What if we develop a bad habit of not feeding our children or of not paying the bills? The problem then becomes one of a lack of action. It seems like people tend to look at what they’re doing and need to stop doing far more often than they look at what they are not doing, which they should be doing. The point here can be summed up in the statement that bad habits are made up of things done and things left undone. The problem is that we tend to focus so much time trying to not do things that not doing the things that need to be done doesn’t feel quite as bad.
What are the things that are left undone in your life? I’m not talking about mowing the lawn or painting the bathroom either. I’m asking you what bad habits you have that are habits of omitting good habits. The first thing to do in order to answer that question is to think of what these good habits are. The best way to answer that is to look toward our Heavenly Father. What does He say? Well, He would have us live lives that are connected to Him. Three very obvious things are: fellowship with Him through His Word, fellowship through prayer and through the fellowship of the brethren. Are you withholding yourself in any of these? Our Creator also wants us to treat our bodies as a temple, one in which He dwells. Are you eating well through a balanced diet; and what about regular physical exercise? Do you witness His love and grace to others through your everyday actions? Do you give through your time, tithes and offerings, as the He has directed us to do?
We are on our way to perfection through our Saviors path. That perfection occurs when we allow it to. We allow it to when we do it. James tells us that faith without works is dead. Too often we relate that to whether or not we have given to the poor or some other helps related works. The message in James wasn’t intended to merely inspire us to help those in need, but to also do something with our lives, now that our faith is established. This also isn’t intended to cause us to find our “calling” in some special ministry sense, but rather to inspire us to live our lives as people of faith, now that faith has been established. Having allowed faith to establish itself within us, faith is then to be allowed to cause new behavior, good habits, that were not even considered before faith had come. This new behavior is the evidence of faith at work. It may be in the form of Scripture study, taking better care of the temple of your body or any number of things that were previously left undone. Why not take a fresh look today and allow yourself to become inspired or perhaps even re-inspired by the Spirit to stop the bad habit of omission and develop a good habit of participation in the works of living by faith. Blessings and Shalom!

SPRING WATERS

Pastor Jeff — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:13:47 +0000

I love water that bubbles up from a fresh spring. Springs fascinate me!
My wife and I like to explore old country roads. We were driving on a dirt road in a very remote area of the Oregon Blue Mountains a little while back. We came around a corner and there was a very long pipe that came out of the thickly wooded area and spilled fresh spring water into a large cistern which had been fashioned there.
It was as if the pipe ran back to some secret location, imaginably miles away, although I am sure it was probably only a few yards at best.
It is amazing to me that bubbling out of the ground somewhere, just out of site, is this wellspring of fresh water. It’s even more extraordinary when you realize that surrounding the base of these mountains lies one of the most vastly arid and desert-like areas in the U.S. Clearly, almost half of Oregon and Washington are desert communities. In addition to that, even this treed mountain area is more on the arid side, receiving far less rain than her sister mountains, the Cascades, which stretch north and south through these two states, just a 150 or so miles to the west.
The almost magical quality of these refreshing waters spilling out of this mountainside reminds me of the way that our Creator is always present, even when we can’t see Him. He is always somewhere just below the surface of our vision. Although the place where we are walking at any moment may appear to be arid or even to be lacking in the refreshing qualities of His presence, He is still our source of refreshing. If we search for Him, we will find Him. We may count on Him to create our sustenance and spring forth our refreshing, much as He did with the Children of Israel in the Biblical story where He caused water to spring forth from a rock in the desert of the Wilderness of Paran.
Sometimes in this busy, harsh world, it is easy to forget that He is so close at hand and to further remember that He has created a pipeline of His own to allow us to find His nourishment and refreshing. The Scriptures and His Spirit and the family of believers are here with us to reveal His presence and to quench our thirst as we meet the challenges of life together.
May you seek and find your refreshing today, for He is with you. Blessings and Shalom!

JUST WAIT AND SEE

Pastor Jeff — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 21:12:02 +0000

When I was a boy, the stories I read in magazines told of a predicted future where the air would be full of flying cars. Right now, we’re all supposed to be flying in cars not driving them on roads. Well, that never did happen. But the stories in the likes of “Popular Science” and “Popular Mechanics” of the early Sixties (that’s 1960’s) spoke rather authoritatively about these predictions, taking a “You just wait and see” attitude.
I remember my paternal grandfather sitting under the old apple tree in the shade after working all morning in the heat and smoking his pipe. I would ask if we could take the short walk to the store today, because when I went along it usually meant a piece of penny candy for me. What was usually his response? “We’ll have to wait and see.”
Not what I wanted to hear, mostly because it left me waiting and wondering about an uncertain future.
On another day I was walking with my maternal grandfather and his friend and neighbor, Sam. Gramps had retired from farming and moved into town. We three were walking to the Post Office, bank and market, a daily sojourn for these retired cronies. They were discussing the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Cold War, popular political topics of the day. There were even designated “Fallout Shelters” for us to all flee to in case of a nuclear missile attack. These were troubling times to be sure. Sam’s opinion: He told Gramps that if one of those nuclear warheads went off, he hoped that he’d be as far away from it as possible. Gramps’ response: “Not me. I hope if one goes off its right there beside of me.”
I was astonished. So too was Sam, who asked, “Why on earth would you want that?”
Without hesitation Gramps told him, “’Cause I’ve never seen one of those babies go off before.”
Even at my young age I got it. Gramps figured that if his experience was going to be such that there was going to be a hit anywhere that would affect him, he’d rather go quickly than die slowly of radiation sickness, and also, in that special wry, Maine sense of humor, he reasoned “Why not get the full effects and at the same time get to see what all the fuss is about?” No waiting and seeing, only seeing when it happens; but then, in itself, an attitude that refuses to worry about what is to come, which actually inadvertently reverts back to that wait and see approach.
Wait and see. We really don’t have much choice. We live life as it comes. It’s usually not as terrific as we’d hoped nor as bad as we’d feared, so we might as well make the best of this moment, just as it is. Blessings and Shalom!

MORE OR LESS

Pastor Jeff — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 00:01:21 +0000

I have recently changed my eating and exercise habits. The results have been increased energy, greater strength and stamina and some weight loss.
It’s really kind of interesting to me that when I meet people whom I haven’t seen in a little while, they immediately notice that I have decreased in size. The reason that it’s so interesting to me is that when I look at myself, I don’t look any different than I ever did, neither before I gained weight, after I gained weight or for that matter now that I have lost weight. I look down at me and I see me. That’s it. I look a little bit smaller to me, but nothing significant. When I look in the mirror, however, I see that my facial features are generally thinner and my overall physique does appear slightly trimmer, but nothing dramatic.
Let someone who hasn’t seen me in the past six months come along, however, and they are amazed at the transformation. They apparently find the difference to be quite dramatic. But, like I said, I truly feel better. I feel stronger, more agile and have considerably more energy and stamina regarding physical activities. I also feel more positive about life in general. I feel greater vitality and that largely translates into a more positive attitude decreasing my stress level and resulting in a happier and more lighthearted day to day existence.
The final analysis though is that I don’t see myself any differently, but others do. A good example is that I was in a casual conversation with a virtual stranger last week. We were talking about eating the rather delicious and yet mostly unhealthy fried foods at our local county fair. I told them that anymore I mostly abstain from eating those kinds of foods. They then asked me if I exercised regularly and I told them yes. Their response truly surprised me. They said, “That’s obviously how you stay so fit.” Believe me, 6 months ago, no one was going to confuse me with someone who was physically fit! I surely do feel better, but I feel like the same person. How can we look so different and yet be basically the same person on the inside?
Oh…so maybe what people look like isn’t so important. Maybe it’s really about the true person that someone is on the inside and not just who we judge them to be on the outside. I seem to recall hearing about this concept somewhere before. Judge not lest you be judged is how I believe the Scriptures explain it. Blessings and Shalom!

ROY CLEVELAND SULLIVAN

Pastor Jeff — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 00:36:09 +0000

Do you know that name? Roy Cleveland Sullivan is actually a rather unique and famous individual. He is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the human being who has been struck by lightening the most. Roy was struck by lightning on seven different occasions. Yep, no typo, seven times.
Roy Cleveland Sullivan (February 7, 1912 – September 28, 1983) was a U.S. park ranger in Shenandoah Park in Virginia. Between 1942 and 1977, Sullivan was hit by lightning on seven different occasions and survived all of them. For this reason, he gained a nickname “Human Lightning Conductor” or “Human Lightning Rod”.
Now, that’s quite a claim to fame isn’t it? It makes you think, “Wow, what an incredible thing.” You think of this outdoorsy, tough individual with all of these survival skills and this great desire to persevere through life’s challenges and hardships. He’s a real, true survivor; right? Well…, not exactly. He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the age of 71 over an unrequited love.
Weird; it really makes you think. How could a man that had seven times survived what most do not survive once, turn around and take his own life?
Sullivan was born in Greene County, Virginia on February 7, 1912. He started working as a ranger in Shenandoah National Park in 1936. Sullivan was described as a brawny man with a broad, rugged face, who resembled the actor Gene Hackman. He was a seemingly rugged individual who stood alone in the wilderness. But, it turns out that he was avoided by people later in life because of their fear of being hit by lightning, and this saddened him greatly. He once recalled: “For instance, I was walking with the chief ranger one day when lightning struck way off. The chief said, ‘I’ll see you later.’”
This pattern of being avoided no doubt heightened the intensity of his experience of unrequited love, and so, even at age 71, it became too much to bear. Indeed, no man is an island and indeed, love truly is the source of life’s vitality.
We serve the Father of all love. He sent His only begotten Son to express that love to us. Love is the greatest gift that we may receive in this world; making it the greatest gift that we can ever give. Give love, it is the gift of life. Blessings and Shalom!

MARS AND OTHER PLACES

Pastor Jeff — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 22:30:37 +0000

The news reported that the Rover that the USA sent to Mars was supposed to work for three months but has lasted for over seven years! The Rover is used to explore the surface of Mars and look for signs of water, which would indicate the possibility of some form of life being sustainable on Mars or at the very least that water once existed and therefore that life may have at one point existed on the Red Planet.
I also recently watched a PBS special about the scientific results of the samples previously taken from the surface of Mars. The soil, it turns out, has a Ph of 8.3 and is therefore neither extremely acidic nor extremely base. This just means that the soil there would be suitable to grow plants, if there were water and if the temperature were suitable. These are big “If’s”, but it’s very interesting stuff.
There seem to be some that see this exploration of the Universe from the standpoint that our Creator only made life on earth. The Bible speaks clearly of that creation, but lends little insight into the rest of what the Heavenly Father created. My personal view is that if there ever were evidence of life once existing outside of the known life on Earth, then we would just be learning more about this great Creator.
He is who He is regardless of our understanding of Him. We would be wise not to put restrictions on Him based upon our own logic, rather than who He truly is. The Scriptures refer to Him as “unknowable” meaning that the depth and breadth of all that is Him is beyond our human ability to comprehend fully.
Even our best human minds who designed the Rover couldn’t foresee it working so well or lasting so long. It’s not so incomprehensible then that fully knowing the Creator of the universe might be somewhat beyond our realm.
The wisest position to take then would be one that allows Him to reveal Himself and thereby see where the universe declares His majesty as it reveals its secrets.
There has recently been a new thrust at exploring the deepest regions of our ocean’s floors, due to new technology which has allowed the development of new equipment capable of operating in this harsh environment.
My guess is that this exploration will reveal new life that was previously unknown. This new life will have characteristics designed by that same creative hand. It will reveal even more of the greatness of the owner of that creativity. Let the universe speak to you, it will then reveal your beloved Father to you in new and wonderful ways. Shalom and Blessings!

THE SURPRISE

Pastor Jeff — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 23:05:55 +0000

I went to my mailbox today to get the mail, just like I do each day. I go to the box, just like most of you do. I open the box, just like you. I reach in, just like you; and I pull out the mail, just like you. I then close the box and do the same thing the next day, and each day, six days per week, just like you.
Some days there are bills in there. Yuck! Some days there’s just junk mail. Yawn! Some days there are fun things like greeting cards, notes from relatives or newspaper articles from my hometown in Maine.
Today though, was special, very special. It didn’t seem like anything unusual at first. I opened the box, just like always. I reached in, just like always. I started to pull out the mail, just like always…but…unlike always; I saw something move inside the box, near my hand. I paused there a moment, hand grasping the mail, to see what had moved. My eyes began to adjust to the dimmer light in the box and then I saw it. If you’ve seen it before the shape is distinct, the glistening black color unmistakable. My hand instinctively and rapidly recoiled from the box and the Black Widow Spider that had set up a comfy web inside!
I rescued my junk mail from the intruder and then I rescued my mailbox from her too. Once again order was restored and once again, all was right with the world.
Funny isn’t it? You never even think about things like that happening. Many of you went to your mailbox and pulled this page out of it. I’m guessing that few if any found Black Widows attached therein.

Except for this one! I didn’t want you all to feel cheated!
Life is filled with surprises and unexpected challenges. They crop up at the least expected moment; otherwise they wouldn’t be much of a surprise. Life wouldn’t be life without them, so I guess they shouldn’t really surprise us. Thankfully, when they do, we have our faith and each other. May your day be uneventful! Shalom and Blessings!

ONE HOUR MARTINIZING

Pastor Jeff — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 20:12:21 +0000

Does anyone out there know what “Martinizing” is or why it takes 1 hour? I remember years ago when signs began to appear everywhere at dry cleaning establishments that boldly advertised this process. I remember looking at those signs and thinking something like “Wow. Only one hour? How can they do it so fast?” But I must admit that I don’t recall ever truly knowing what “Martinizing” was. I just recall “imagining” what it was. I imagined that it was some new process that streamlined dry cleaning. I imagined that there was some machine that had been developed after years of research and that only after much trial and error and perfecting of the process did they finally stumble upon the answer and find that not only did “Martinizing” work, but that it could also be accomplished in just an hour! I also assumed that the person who spearheaded all of this development must have been named Martin.
One day I was driving by one of these signs and I suddenly realized that I had no real understanding of what “One Hour Martinizing” was or, for that matter, what it did.
The truth: Martinizing Dry Cleaning is a dry-cleaning franchise that was founded in 1949. Martin Franchises, Inc., the parent company, is the largest dry cleaning franchise in the United States, with over 600 franchised stores worldwide. The family-owned company is based in Loveland, Ohio. The concept of One Hour Martinizing was pioneered by a New York chemist named Henry Martin in 1949. At the time, dry cleaning was done with flammable solvents, so the plants were located remotely from the storefronts. A customer would drop off their cleaning “in town”, the garments would travel to the production facility to be cleaned and pressed, and then they would return to the store several days later for pick-up. But, by using a non-flammable solvent, the use of which was discovered by Mr. Martin, dry cleaning plants could now be located much more conveniently, and the process could be carried out in a much timelier manner. The use of this non-flammable solvent was adopted throughout the industry and revolutionized the business in that facilities could better serve their customers and provide much faster turn-around on the orders.
It’s just different chemicals. The process didn’t actually change. They just didn’t have to send clothes offsite to clean them.
It’s kind of funny how sometimes when we find out the truth, how much simpler it is. The same holds true with our walk of faith. The simple truth is all that’s required; the simplicity that is the kindness, gentleness, forgiveness, grace and love of our Savior. Let your days be full of His simple truths. Blessings and Shalom!

SEMICOLONS

Pastor Jeff — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 04:12:26 +0000

The most feared, underused and incorrectly used punctuation is the semicolon. It is the most feared because the criteria for its use are not clearly understood; this leads to underuse and misuse. This fear of use is widespread; it may be found in Portland, Maine; San Francisco, California; Tokyo, Japan or any lesser known area.
Did you notice how I snuck those semicolons into those last two sentences? To the best of my knowledge, these are accurate uses. The first use was to connect two related statements, each of which could stand alone as a complete thought, with a period after them. The second sentence applied the use of the semicolon whenever a list is used that requires the separation of locations with internal comma usage, such as: Portland, Maine; Tokyo, Japan etc. I just used it again in the explanation and threw in a colon for good measure.
I know that everyone reading this knows about the semicolon and has basic knowledge of when to use it. The point is that it’s often confusing when or when not to use it or when to use a comma instead or make the two related statements into two sentences.
It all tends to make my head ache, but like anything else, the more you write and are required to deal with it, the more ease you develop with it all. Once again, practice makes perfect.
In a similar fashion, we are mostly all familiar with the basics of our life of faith and the standards that are put forth by the Scriptures. We do our best to meet those standards, but some of us are more familiar with some standards than with others. This can be due to a number of factors, including ethnicity, colloquial beliefs, denominational beliefs and approaches and many other factors.
The semicolon is more likely than not to be underused rather than misused. The tenets of our faith are similarly more likely to be underused than misused, by those who truly desire to live a life of faith.
I find it to be more profitable to try to live by faith than to abstain from it for fear of failure. In the end, the failure is not trying rather than trying and coming up short, but then adjusting, retrying and succeeding. Again, practice makes perfect.
Blessings and Shalom!

GOOD COUNSEL

Pastor Jeff — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 22:56:42 +0000

When I was a teenager, my cousin Dan and I (Hi, Dan!), were exploring the back roads, side roads and logging tote roads of Maine one day, when we happened upon a very remote automobile junk yard. The road in there was scarcely a road by any normal standards, but once you arrived at this area, there were dozens of vehicles in an opened area which was equivalent to an overgrown field.
We were quite surprised to find it there, virtually nowhere, and were even more surprised when we found another person there removing some parts from a vehicle. We greeted him and he was quite friendly and conversational. We asked him if he knew the people who owned this property and he looked us in the eye and with a grin said, “Well sure. I own it!”
We asked him if he minded if we were to come here and take some parts from these old cars. He said he didn’t mind at all and that we could come there anytime and help ourselves to whatever we wanted. This was terrific news because it meant free auto parts, just exactly within our price range!
We made a schedule and returned there on the next Saturday morning, equipped with a jack and tools and a shopping list. We got straight to work and began to put the parts into the back of Dan’s car.
We were wrapping up our excursion when we were confronted by a rather large man who lwanted to know who we were and what we were doing there helping ourselves to these parts. We explained to him that we knew the owner and assured him that everything was on the up and up and that we had been given permission by the property owner to take whatever we needed.
He said something to the effect of, “That’s not likely, since I own this land and these vehicles!”
I think you’re already picturing the expression on our faces. We had been taken. He went on to explain that someone had been coming in there and stealing parts and he was trying to catch them, but hadn’t been able to until now! He was not buying our “story” and was insistent upon calling the police! Gulp! We offered to pay for the parts or whatever, but beseeched him not to call the authorities. He had us follow him to his house and there, after much conversation, Dan was able to convince the man that we, like him, were victims and he let us go.
We learned a great lesson that day. Don’t take counsel from someone, just because they “sound” like they’re right or tell you what you want to hear.
The same goes for our knowledge of the truth of our Heavenly Father. The Scriptures encourage us to search them daily in order to confirm the truth.
Whenever you seek good counsel, don’t just seek it from those who tell you what you want to hear. Listen to those who love you enough to tell you the hard truths.
Blessings and Shalom!

UNCOMMON SENSE

Pastor Jeff — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 01:27:27 +0000

In my spare time I deliver a newspaper product once a week for the local newspaper. A few days ago, while doing this delivery, a man stood in the middle of a narrow side street that I was driving down, with his hands on his hips, sort of like Superman. He was a larger, heavyset man. I cheerfully greeted him and he greeted me, not cheerfully. He greeted me with profanity, anger and aggressive posturing. It turns out that he had been a recipient of this product, but didn’t want it. He called in two weeks ago to have his delivery terminated, which I did. So he hasn’t received the paper that he didn’t want for two full weeks.
He angrily informed me that he didn’t think other people wanted it either. I explained that he couldn’t speak for the others, but that if he’d inform them to call in, I’d be happy to discontinue their service as well.
Apparently unsatisfied by that statement, he shifted gears and accused me of having thrown the papers in the street and not the driveways. That is an untrue statement. I told him that is not how I operate. He then told me that he was going to drag me from my vehicle and physically beat me. I calmly explained to him that I thought that would not be profitable and that we’d do better if we instead spent the time speaking to each other as adults and handling the situation as adults. His response was to once again threaten me with physical harm, whilst using a string of obscenities. He gradually walked up to his own lawn and I drove away, rattled and wondering how a fully grown man of about forty years old could allow himself to live in this personal prison of hatred and violence. Doesn’t common sense say, “Don’t create personal prisons of torture?”
Today I heard a news report over the U.S budget crisis. The reporter said, “Common sense should tell us that we need to cut spending.” That’s when it hit me: If common sense is so common, then why has it become so scarce? I recognized in an instant that the answer lies with our relationship with our Creator. The message of His Word has all of the basic and simple logic necessary in order to navigate through even the most difficult and complex situations.
We’ve entered a stage in society where we try to outthink ourselves, when often the answer is to stop pressing so hard and start listening to the wisdom of our Heavenly Father.
Blessings and Shalom!

JUST A FEW WEEDS

Pastor Jeff — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 19:36:45 +0000

I have a small vegetable garden in the back yard. It has recently started to show signs of a few weeds growing up. I look at them every day and think, “Well, I‘ll have to do something about those weeds sometime soon.” They are still small and do not pose a real threat to the crops. They are sparsely set throughout the garden. Each day I see them and take note that “soon” I’ll need to do something about them. They’re a nuisance, but they really aren’t a problem, “yet.”
Today I saw them early in the morning and ran through my “soon” and “yet” routine in my head. I went on to other tasks. Then I went back to water it and looked at the weed situation. I realized that the weeds were nearly everywhere in the garden. Sure, there were still spaces that were blank, but they were there, somewhat prevalent and getting taller. They were now actually gaining enough of a presence to start competing for resources with my vegetable plants. How had this happened? I saw them earlier and didn’t really see them as a threat. “Soon” and “yet” were still in play!
Many times I’ve heard folks make comparisons to a garden and its crops and weeds to the human condition with good fruit and sin. Today I understood the insidious nature of those “little sins” that aren’t really all that bad and although they don’t look great in the garden of our life, they aren’t really posing a problem. We determine to do something about them “soon” because they’re not so bad that we need to deal with those specific behaviors “yet.” So we live our lives sure that tomorrow will be the day when we take action and uproot the weeds of those annoying and yet tiny and inconsequential behavioral issues.
The trouble is they seem so small that we never seem to get to them. We’re too busy dealing with the bigger issues in life.
If we turn around and look at the garden with eyes of rigorous honesty, we are likely to see these things for what they truly are, which is competition with the true nature of our Savior. A nature that we are called to adopt and submit to. Not just to “be good”, but rather so that the garden of our life will bear good fruit and bless us and those around us.
Today could be your day that “soon” and “yet” has arrived. I weeded my garden today; in more ways than one! Blessings and Shalom!

THINGS I DON’T KNOW

Pastor Jeff — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 02:12:40 +0000

When I was around 16-18 years old, the list of things that I didn’t know was very short. Moving into my early twenties, the list seemingly got even shorter.
By the time I had reached my thirties, however, the list seemed to be showing signs of omissions and that it was somehow incomplete. In my forties the list came to look like it might need a total re-work and now, here in my fifties, the list seems like it was a mirage all along. I see that even the concept of thinking that I could make an all inclusive list was foolhardy.
Today, the list of things that I don’t know is longer than I can see to the end of. It is virtually infinite. The list of things that I don’t know is immeasurably longer than the list of things that I do know, even when combined with the list of things I think I know, the things that I should know, and the things that I once knew but have forgotten.
When we have seen only a small view of what there is to know, it is easy to become deceived into thinking that this is all there really is to know and that our perspective on it is the only true or right perspective. That is, until we are exposed to a wider, deeper, broader view. In this light, our limited knowledge and perspective begins to pale and our previous certainty that we knew all there was to know becomes tenuous and diminished. Just the fact that we now have the ability to doubt or question our previous certainty, is, in reality, the beginning of understanding.
The harsh truth is that we are probably never as clever as we think we might be and we are almost certainly too quick to judge and decide on most things, because even in best case scenarios, our perspective and comprehension of everything is limited to what we now know, which is usually not 100% of anything.
This concept also applies to our understanding of our Savior. We see now dimly, as in a mirror, but one day face to face. Until that day, we are wise if we recognize that our view and understanding of our Creator is limited. This is not bad news. It is truly the best news ever. He is far more than we can even imagine. He is good, but His goodness exceeds our comprehension of goodness. He loves completely and this love is known only in part by us. Perhaps when the completeness and totality of Him is finally revealed, that will be the day when our list of things which we don’t know disappears because we will then see that He is the answer to all of our questions and needs. Blessings and Shalom!

A PAIN IN THE …

Pastor Jeff — Thu, 26 May 2011 17:44:57 +0000

You know what? It doesn’t matter where you have pain. If you have pain that lasts more than a day or two, it gets really old, really fast. It doesn’t take long for the pain in the (Fill in the location of your pain) to become a pain in the…well, you know.
I recently did “something” to my neck/shoulder. For the life of me I don’t know what. How can doing something that at the time leaves no indication that you’ve injured yourself leave such a lasting affect? I have thought and thought but it really seems like I must have slightly injured it one way and then a day or so later, when I was working strenuously in the yard, I exacerbated the injury.
I worked on, unwittingly, past the point where I would have, if I had known what my further work was doing. It was without intent or even lack of reason that I caused this injury and then increased upon it.
Then, yesterday, because I thought my injury was much better, I did some lifting and carrying of a few 50lb. grain sacks. By bedtime my condition had drastically deteriorated. This time I knew that I was injured, but I thought that this small task wouldn’t affect it very much, seeing as how I was so improved. Wrong!
This morning I realized how common this type of incident is in our spiritual life. We grow up doing things that we and even our families have “always done.” There couldn’t be anything wrong or amiss there. I feel nothing wrong or evil or negative about these thoughts or behaviors. Then, even when we do have negative consequences from these actions, we cannot tie the consequences to our actions.
Sometimes another person will look at us and say, “Well, did you ever think about the possibility that this is a result of this or that behavior?” (Again, fill in the blanks of this or that with a behavior).
We look at them with astonishment, amazement or resentment, (or some kind of mint)! Of course, we never have considered it because we never made the connection. It seemed quite innocent and natural to us, but from the perspective of another it looks much different. We can respond then out of resentment: “Don’t judge me!” Astonishment; “Are you crazy? Of course that’s not it!” or Amazement: “I never would have made that connection, thank you!”
The power of fellowship is to come to see ourselves honestly through the eyes of others. We can then see what the world sees and hopefully begin to recognize the ways in which we unwittingly harm ourselves or at the very least deter our growth in the Father’s image. Be good to you. Blessings and Shalom!